Lost And Never Found
by jordanokerwood
Summary: Harley Bradforth was just your average whovian until they were sucked unceremoniously into the doctor who universe. Will they ever return home? What adventures are in store for them? Will they ever acquire appropriate clothing?
1. Dragged through time

**A/N: Before I get any complaints, Harley uses they/them pronouns**

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A short figure stood frozen in the dark alleyway, the occasional tremors that wracked their body and the misty breathe leaving their parted lips were the only signs of movement one could see. Harley Fredran had stood in the rain for quite a while now, without any sign of regaining the movement of their limbs. Their short frizzy curls had been flattened by the rainfall and their thickly rimmed glasses had water pouring down them.

Harley had put on a spray proof jacket before leaving their warm family home in search of their yowling cat, but had on under that only a pair of navy boxers and a loose black singlet. It had been during that short search, during the spring of 2015, in Victoria, Australia, that Harley had noticed that the light of their iphone six was no longer necessary due to a pulsing blue light. Their natural instinct was to back away from the horror movie scene that was evidently taking place on the driveway of their house.

Unfortunately Harley was unable to obey their bodies desire and instead felt their feet dragging forward across the ground, as though each foot was attached to a cable that were pulling them into light. In that horrifying ten second fight Harley realised that sometimes you had no choice but to be that person in the horror movie that dies first, that sometimes it was all down to blind luck.

However, instead of being sucked through some deadly wormhole and into hell, Harley had found themself pulled into a dark alley. The slight misting of rain that had been gently stroking at their face had turned into harsh bettering raindrops that had soaked Harley through to the bone within a couple of minutes. The quiet country road that swept past their driveway had been replaced by the tall stone walls of the city, dimly lit by a streetlight placed on the corner of the alley and what seemed to be a main road.

When they had appeared in the dark Alleyway, Harley had felt the urge to collapse pass through their body, felt the energy drain from their limbs. But then a flood of adrenaline had burst through their veins when they noted the marked change in their surroundings and instead of collapsing all of Harley's muscles locked in place, prepared to run from any potential threats.

 _Where the hell am I?_ Harley thought to themself, trying desperately to find some kind of answer for their current predicament. _I'm pretty sure I haven't been drugged._ They could feel their heart racing in their chest and felt the trembling fear in their stomach, as they tried to figure out what other options were even possible.

 _Teleported?_

 _I can't believe I just thought that, like I let that thought enter my mind._

 _Still… all things considered it's could be possible._

 _Nope, nope, nope, I'm being completely ridiculous. Definitely need to watch less doctor who_

Harley didn't get a chance to respond to their thought as a slim figure in a long coat bolted down the alley way towards them. Their eyes widen slightly and finally their frozen limbs moved and they turned to face whoever was approaching them.

"Hello," said a familiar voice as the man slid to a stop a couple of metres away from Harley, he glanced over his shoulder and drew in a quick breathe. "Well, no time to explain, but you probably want to run now."

At that point Harley knew two things. First of all, they knew that they had completely lost their mind and second of all they knew they needed to run for their life at that very instant. Sparing a millisecond to glance over the shoulder of the fictional character they had just been thinking about, Harley turned on the spot and sprinted away from the direction the Doctor had just come from. The dark shadow that had turned into the alleyway a moment after he had told Harley to run had sent an instinctual tremor of fear up their spine.

"Take that left," the Doctor shouted and Harley willingly obliged, having just started panicking over the lack of light showing from the other end of the alley, as that would indicate a dead end.

There was definitely light in this alleyway, as well as an intersection, which the Doctor turned right at. They weren't running long before they exited the new alleyway and found themselves in a more open area, which seemed to be the main road of whatever city they were in. The Doctor and Harley ran across the road, around the horse and cart that was just across from them and into what seemed to be a park.

Harley could just make out a large square box in the corner of the park, not far from where they and the Doctor were and they headed towards it, knowing that he was heading that way already. Harley reached the doors of the TARDIS just before the Doctor and looked behind them. The dark figure had gained on the pair during the chase, it was now only a short ten metres away. Harley couldn't make out any distinct features of the thing, despite the light that had been cast over it, all they could really say of the creature was that it was the same shape of a human. Harley heard the distinct click of the TARDIS doors opening and dove into the blue box after the Doctor.

The engines of the TARDIS began to groan familiarly and the large spaceship began to shudder as it presumably teleported somewhere, or somewhen, different. Harley took in their surroundings quickly. The doctor they had been following was the tenth regeneration. He was wearing one of his usual pinstripe suits, a blue one, as well as his usual long coat, which looked damp from the rain. His hair was also damp and water flew from it as he worked busily at the controls, flipping levers and pressing buttons.

"What was that?" Harley asked, deciding that they'd rather not stand in silence and wait for the Doctor to start asking them questions.

"Hmm? You mean Jack, good-ole Jack, well not really that good…" The Doctor started rambling

"That thing wasn't a person, no foot-steps." Harley pulled their glasses off of their face, shaking them unenthusiastically. They were relatively new and Harley wasn't exactly sure what to do with them, since they didn't have any of their cleaning cloth on them.

The Doctor turned around after the TARDIS had set herself down and narrowed his eyes slightly at Harley. "That is a very good observation…" He paused waiting for a name to be given.

"Harley."

"Right, Harley. Nice name." He grinned, loping across the TARDIS console so he was nearer to them.

"Thanks I picked it myself." Harley grinned back.

"So, that thing wasn't exactly human, it was a human shadow."

"I might be wrong…" Harley hesitated, "but don't human shadows tend to stick with their humans."

"Yeah, usually." He said waving his hand. "What I'm more concerned about at the moment is, who are you?"

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 **This is my nanowrimo entry, I've just started it though so it's going to be a fun few days trying to catch up :)**


	2. The Doctor and the TARDIS

Harley was never very good at defining themself on the spot. They really hated those introduction games people always used to break the ice when strangers end up in groups. There was always that massive amount of pressure to find the perfect random fact about yourself, and heaven forbid someone else uses the same random fact _before_ it gets to your turn. Perhaps that's why when the Doctor asked _who_ Harley was they shrugged, which was apparently a terrible idea.

"You don't know who you are? Hmm total amnesia then? No, no, no. You remembered your name, you already told me that. I'm the Doctor by the way, probably should have mentioned that before, hello…" Harley opened their mouth but the Doctor didn't seem to take any notice, he was off in his own world, waving his arms to emphasise his words. "But never mind who you are. How are you here? Twenty first century girls don't just pop up in 1889 on a daily basis, not unless I take them anyway…

"Oh My God! Do you ever shut up?" Harley shouted, bursting through the Doctor's rant. "Jesus, you could talk the hind legs off a dog."

"Why would I do that? I like dogs, dogs are nice." The Doctor muttered to himself, his forehead creasing with concern.

Harley pinched the bridge of their nose and let out a long sigh. _I love this doctor to bits, but I swear I'm going to have to up my caffeine intake to cope with him._ They thought, wondering how one got coffee in the late nineteenth century. Harley hadn't had any for a few hours and was feeling the beginnings of a craving.

"So, what is a twenty first century girl doing in 1889 anyway? In her pyjamas no less." The Doctor asked, bringing Harley back to the present situation.

"I wouldn't know, I haven't seen any twenty first century girls around."

"Right, not a girl. Boy?"

"Keep guessing you'll get there eventually." Harley muttered, "have you got anything I can wipe my glasses with?"

The Doctor reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a piece of cloth.

"Thanks." Harley said, taking it.

"So how did you get here?"

"My cat needed me." They said, wiping the water from their glasses before sliding them back onto their face. They smiled at the Doctor's look of bemusement and decided to take pity on him. "I was in bed reading and I heard my cat meow." Harley continued, running their hands through the wet blonde curls that were beginning to form on the top of her head. "Then I went looking for her and there was a weird blue light that kept pulsing and it pulled me here."

"Humans, they see a big pulsing blue light and they have to go poke it." The doctor said, shaking his head. He then span around and bounded over to his monitor.

"I didn't go poking at it, it literally dragged me here." Harley grumbled. "Anyway, back onto the shadow that's missing its human. How does that happen?"

"Uhhh, I'm not entirely sure actually, I was just passing by and then there was a weird blip on the monitor and I thought I'd investigate." He grinned at Harley, "that must have been you."

"Right… So you have no idea what's going on?"

"Nope." The doctor grinned, "it's not often I can say that."

And once again he started fiddling with his machinery. Harley decided that they wouldn't be much use to the doctor when it came to his technology, so they took a moment to properly take in the TARDIS.

Harley had always found this version of the TARDIS control room more appealing than the newer model. They liked the clamoured look of the console and the sort of rustic aesthetic of the wall, of course that was probably because that's the sort of lifestyle they led. Clamoured, messy and a little bit worn was practically Harley's personal motto. They paused a moment as they passed by one of the foam covered sections of the platform rails, poking at it. _Yep, soft and squishy. Perfect for a crash landing._ They thought grinning to themself.

"So Doctor, do you crash often?" Harley asked, leaning casually against the cushioned rail.

He sniffed, clearly taking offense at the question. "No!"

"Right, just a lot of rough landings then." Harley said cheerfully, patting the yellow padding. The Doctor scowled, still fiddling around with his scanners, probably trying to pick up some kind of information on the humanless shadow. Then he suddenly turned, a mildly confused look on his face.

"You didn't say it?" He questioned. "Why didn't you say it?"

"Why didn't I say what? I'm not a mind reader you know." Harley responded, suddenly remembering their stowed away iPhone. They hurriedly pulled the phone from their pocket, realising that, though their jacket was water proof on the outside, it certainly wasn't on the inside. "Who makes a water proof jacket without water proof pockets?"

"Isn't my ship a little odd?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it. What's with all those corally looking support beams?" Harley asked, trying to dry their phone off.

"Seriously?" The Doctor asked incredulously.

"What?"

"You ran into a little tiny police box, which I've got to say is unusual, most people at least pause and consider the fact that perhaps I'm just mad, and you find all of this…" The Doctor said, waving his arms around to indicate the whole of the TARDIS. "And you're asking about my taste in décor?"

"Yeah so?" Harley said, frowning at the phone. They couldn't get any sound to come out of it.

"No, 'it's bigger on the inside.'?" The Doctor exclaimed, clearly frustrated.

Harley turned and smirked at him, phone still in hand.

"Well, I thought that was kind of obvious." They said

"Do you want me to take a look at that?" The Doctor asked, pointing at their phone

"Nah, she'll be right. The speakers have finally died." Harley said, throwing the phone up high in the air. "Dropped it in the bath one too many times."

"You're Australian." He said grinning.

"Yes," Harley sighed, clearly the Doctor had completely forgotten what he was supposed to be doing. "So, learnt anything about the shadow yet? Why it's here, how it got detached from its body?"

"Right!" He exclaimed, getting back on track. "Well, to answer your questions; nothing new, nope and nope."

"Hold on, what did you already know?"

"The shadow is completely solid, he's got a mean right hook too…" The Doctor rubbed his jaw, pouting slightly.

"You have the attention span of a puppy, you know that right?"

"Yeah." The Doctor grinned at Harley, who just raised their eyebrow expectantly. "Anyway, the shadow is composed of an organic material called, fregrat, it's sort of like silk but with microscopic spikes on it…"

"So nothing like silk." Harley muttered.

"I also know that the shadow belongs to Jack the Ripper." The doctor said, turning back to the monitor he had been searching through.

Harley watched for a moment as the Doctor searched through pages and pages of information, to quickly for even them to read. Then shaking themself from the trance, Harley opened their mouth and said something very stupid.

"Didn't he get eaten in 1888?" They said, remembering Madame Vastra's claim.

The Doctor stopped searching through, what Harley assumed to be, the TARDIS archive and gave them a concerned look. Once again Harley had completely baffled the alien.

"Why would he have been eaten?" He asked.

 _Why would I say that?_ Harley thought, realising that he hadn't met Madame Vastra yet, and even if he had, they shouldn't know about her.

"I don't really know, one of my teachers told me I suppose. Don't mind me, I talk before I think sometimes." They said, flashing a charming smile at the Doctor.

The Doctor shook his head before pushing the screen back up and racing over to the TARDIS doors, clearly having decided the best way to get information was to go and investigate.

"Wait a minute." Harley shouted, just before he opened the doors. The Doctor turned back around to face them. "Maybe I should get changed into something else?" They waved at their almost completely bare legs. "Shoes might be nice too, I like my toes."

The Doctor conceded that Harley should get dressed and, after trying to explain the directions to the wardrobe five times, led them there to find some more appropriate clothing. Harley decided to wear some black skinny jeans and a plain t-shirt, which could be reasonably well covered with a long over coat. They also chose some plain black running shoes and, though they did cringe a bit at the idea of wearing second hand socks, they pulled a pair of those on too.

Finally ready to leave the TARDIS and properly start their first adventure with the Doctor, Harley couldn't help but feel like they were forgetting about something. They eventually decided it was their lack of fear, since they had just been sucked into another time and universe… apparently.

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 **Second Chapter is up, apologies for how much dialogue is here. I am shamed.**


	3. Pursuit

The rain stung Harley's face as they walked down the dark London streets, they had given up on wearing their glasses in the downpour and had instead tucked them gently into one of the pockets of their coat. The wind had picked up while the Doctor and Harley had stayed in the TARDIS and the temperature had seemed to have dropped as well.

"Do you know where we're going?" They asked, getting the feeling that they were just walking aimlessly through London, waiting for someone to scream in terror. The Doctor shrugged, confirming their suspicions and they continued on in silence. Harley took the time they spent aimlessly wandering and let themselves drink in their surroundings.

Harley had always been fond of history and actually seeing the old buildings and the occasional rushing figure of a nineteenth century Londoner was exciting to say the least. The streets were quite empty, whether that was because of the rain or the time Harley couldn't tell, but there were still quite a few carriages waiting on street corners near pubs.

They felt sorry for the large carthorses, who had to stand in the sheeting rain, unable to even move around for warmth. A lot of the drivers draped some kind of water proof covering over their horses, which at least kept the water off of their broad backs. The drivers also wrapped themselves up in blankets, trying to keep themselves warm. _At least the taxi drivers in my time have heaters._ Harley thought.

A shiver ran down Harley's spine, unfortunately it was from the cold. They felt like someone was watching them, but when they glanced casually behind them they couldn't see anything but the dark streets through the downpour. The walked slightly quicker, slipping their arm through the Doctor's elbow.

"I think someone's following us," they said when he looked down. Harley blushed slightly, feeling a little embarrassed that they had admitted it when most likely they were just being paranoid. The Doctor just nodded though and kept walking, though he did seem to be paying more attention to their surroundings. Harley chewed their lip for a moment, considering their options.

"Doctor," they started hesitantly, knowing that they were about to suggest something very stupid. "What if we split up for a little while? I can hang back, see if there is anyone following us."

The Doctor frowned slightly, clearly not too fond of the idea. It was dangerous after all, if someone was following them then walking alone was generally a bad idea. There was also the matter of Jack the Ripper's shadow roaming the streets of London.

"If there is someone following us, then it's probably linked to the shadow." _Or my sudden appearance,_ Harley thought. "In which case they are our best lead to any answers."

"What if they follow you?" The Doctor asked.

Harley had to admit that it was a valid point, there was no guarantee that whoever was pursuing them (if someone was actually pursuing them) would follow the Doctor if they did split up. There was also the possibility that there wasn't just one person behind them. Was the possibility of learning something new worth the risk? Harley thought so. The pair of them new next to nothing about the shadows and literally nothing about how they got there. At this point they were just hoping to stumble across something helpful.

"Then I'll scream and run away. I've been told I'm quite loud." Harley said grinning up at the Doctor and pressing their elbow lightly into his side. The Doctor scrunched up his face, still not entirely convinced it was a good idea.

"Alright, fine." He sighed, running his free hand through his unruly hair. "But be careful."

"Darn, you have to take the fun out of everything don't you?" Harley said, a small smile playing on their face. "I'll turn up that road just ahead. I'll wait for ten minutes and if I don't see anyone I'll catch up to you."

"And if you do see someone following me?"

"I'll follow them." Harley said.

The Doctor shook his head, but didn't bother to argue with them any further. He hadn't known Harley for long but it was pretty clear that they were fairly stubborn.

As they reached the mouth of the narrow alley Harley slipped their arm from the Doctor's, said a cheerful goodbye and turned down the dark road. Luckily they didn't have to go far to find somewhere to hide as the street light wasn't particularly bright and there was a small side entrance to the building that was on the corner.

They hid behind the solid brick steps, peering over the edge cautiously. The Doctor had paused, watching as they slid into the shadowy area behind the short staircase. Apparently he thought that they were well enough hidden because he soon turned around and continued in the same direction the pair were heading before.

Harley hadn't really had much time to check their surroundings when they first entered the alley, choosing to find a safe hiding spot before doing anything else. They had noticed a few distant lights, suggesting that the alley way ran all the way through the houses and onto another road. Though this meant that they had to listen for footsteps approaching behind them, it also meant that they wouldn't be trapped if the pursuer did turn down this road after them.

They stole a quick glance around themself, just to be sure that they were alone before settling in to watch the narrow opening in front of them. Harley knew they wouldn't have much time, seeing as their field of view was quite narrow and the rain made it harder to see clearly. The most they would be able to make out, if the pursuer was on the other side of the road, would be a dark shape moving through the street.

So Harley waited, and waited, and waited. Their racing heart eventually slowing until it was beating at its normal pace. They felt themself flush, realising they were just being paranoid and had essentially freaked out over nothing. And just as Harley was about to give up and move from their spot they heard the distinct sound of footsteps on the hard pavement. They froze, listening even harder, terror pouring through their veins.

The footsteps were very close, they had to be, otherwise one would not be able to hear them over the sound of the harsh rain. They also weren't coming from anywhere near the intersection Harley had been focusing on intently. They were coming from behind them.

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 **A/N: So I haven't edited any of these chapters so far, I'll probably go over them after nanowrimo so I apologise for any horrific mistakes.**

 **thanks to onerandomwriter for your review, I really appreciate it :)**


	4. Lights and Shadows

Harley's heart seamed to falter for a moment before it began pounding furiously. They turned ever so slowly, hoping that the shadow the staircase cast would hide their movements. The footsteps had stopped by the time Harley had turned and for a moment Harley dared to hope that it was just a random passer-by, who was confused by the strange blonde person who was hiding behind a set of stairs. _I'd be confused,_ Harley thought, facing the dark figure that was now only two metres away from them.

Through the heavy rainfall, Harley could just make out the outline of some one. They stood, an umbrella held above their head, about three metres away. They wore a long Victorian style dress and some kind of veil on their head, making it hard for Harley to tell whether they were facing them or not. Harley could also just make out an odd thin rectangular shape that poked out from behind one of their shoulders.

"Please relax child, I have a message for you." A familiar voice called.

Harley relaxed and stood, trying not to show just how relieved they were. _Madame Vastra, thank god._ They thought, allowing their racing heart to slow.

"I'm not a child." They said, frowning at Madame Vastra, knowing that they had to at least pretend they didn't know who she was. "Who are you?"

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, probably gaging whether Harley was likely to flee or worse if they moved suddenly, then she moved forward until she was close enough that Harley only need take a step forward to be under the umbrella. Trying to keep some kind of nervous energy surrounding them, Harley forced their body to tense, knowing that any less of a reaction would be suspicious.

"I'm a friend." She said calmly. "Come." And with that she turned and began walking back the way she came. Harley stared after her for a moment, completely stunned by how confident she was that they would follow.

They walked quickly, catching up with her very quickly, but stay slightly behind her so they did not need to put so much effort into acting cautious. Instead they allowed themself to think about who would send them a message, particularly since they just arrived here. They had only met the Doctor since turning up in this strange world and he had not been out of their sight, except for those ten minutes they had spent waiting for whoever was following them to pass by. Harley stopped, cursing themselves for being so stupid. The Doctor. They had completely forgotten about how they had agreed to meet up with him after ten minutes.

"Is there a problem?" Madame Vastra asked.

"I told my friend I'd meet him in ten minutes." Harley said, rubbing the back of their head.

"Well we better hurry then." She responded, moving forward once again.

The two had been walking for quite a while, turning down street after street, before they reached a small horse drawn coach. Harley was completely lost, there was no way they could find their way back to the Doctor now. When they reached the coach, a short figure, obviously Strax, opened the door for Madame Vastra and Harley to climb in.

"So where were we?" Harley hummed when the carriage started to roll forwards. "Ah yes. You're a friend. Whose friend would that be?" Harley lounged very casually on the seat across from Madame Vastra, preparing themself for whatever direction this conversation was going to go.

"Your friend."

"Not to burst your bubble or anything, but I've only met one person in this century and you don't sound a thing like him." Harley said calmly, a crooked smile playing on their lips.

"Perhaps a better phrase is, I will be a friend." Madame Vastra amended.

"Well I can't really argue with you there…" Harley said. "Although, I feel like an enemy would say something like that too."

Harley took a chance during the brief silence to observe Madame Vastra closely. They took note of how she sat upright with perfect posture. Her hands were gently folded in her lap, and the sword that Harley had hardly been able to make out in the rain was leaning gently against her left thigh. Harley allowed their gaze to rest on the sword, admiring what little they could see of it in the poorly lit carriage.

"That's not for you, there has been dangerous creatures lurking in the streets as of late." Madame Vastra said, misinterpreting Harley's interest in the blade.

"What sort of dangerous creatures?" Harley asked, hoping that maybe they could get some information while they were there.

"Solid shadows." Madame Vastra answered.

"Yeah my friend and I are checking those out. We had a bit of a run in with one, you wouldn't know anything about them would you?" Harley asked, resting their right ankle on their left knee.

"Well why do you think I've brought you here?" She said. Her tone suggesting that Harley was being a bit slow.

"You did say you had a message for me." Harley pointed out.

"Yes…" Madame Vastra said, reaching into a pocket in her dress and pulling out a small, white envelope. Harley took a moment to curse the dress makers of their time for the lack of pockets in any dress they had and then leaned forward to take the envelope.

"Who's it from?" Harley asked.

"You."

Harley looked back at Madame Vastra, a small frown creasing their forehead. _Surely there is some kind of rule against that sort of thing?_ Harley thought, chastising their future self for breaking whatever law of time they had. They couldn't tell what Madame Vastra was thinking, as her face was covered by her veil, but she seemed to be watching Harley's reaction

"Thanks." Harley said. Deciding not to read the letter there, they gently folded the envelope into a small square and tucked it into their jean pocket. "I'm sorry, I never asked your name."

"I'm Madame Vastra." She said. "Now, back to this trouble we have been having with the shadows." Harley lent forward, resting their forearms on their legs, and listened intently. "To begin with, they were only active between the hours of eleven and one at night, but that time they spend active has gradually increased." Vastra paused, taking in a breath.

"We also know where they are coming from and where they return too." She said, her voice tightening ever so slightly, as though she was made uncomfortable by the information she was about to share. "They come from the graveyards."

Harley leaned back against the wall of the carriage, letting that sink in. If the shadows came from the graveyards and then returned to the graveyards then there was probably something there the solid shadows needed to exist and there was only one thing that was plentiful at a graveyard.

"They're the shadows of the dead." Harley said out loud. Letting Madame Vastra know that she had figured it out.

The carriage jerked to a stop, causing Harley to fall forwards on top of Madame Vastra. They apologised profusely and pushed themself back into their seat, but she seemed to be more concerned with their lack of movement.

"Strax what is it?" She called already moving to the door.

"Our way has been blocked." Strax called back.

"By what?" Madame Vastra demanded, though she had swung open the door before the Sultaran had a chance to respond.

Harley was quick to follow her out of the cart and when she saw what was not only ahead of them but had gathered behind them as well, their heart began to race once again. _This can't be good for me,_ Harley thought, watching as the shadows seemed to become more solid with every step they took. The creatures had boxed them in and they were advancing slowly but surely.

Harley glanced at Madame Vastra. She had taken her veil off and had unsheathed her sword, clearly prepared to fight for her life. Her face was grim though, as though she did not expect to survive. Harley had to agree.

"You don't know anything else about them do you?" They asked, watching as the shadows continued their slow march. _They're playing with us, they can move a lot quicker than that._ Harley thought, slightly irritated.

Madame Vastra shook her head, Strax had joined them on the ground and was preparing himself for battle. The horse had begun to snort and stamp its feet impatiently. The carriage had been stopped just next to a brightly burning street light, bathing the area around it in a surprisingly bright light. In fact, Harley thought the light was a little too bright in comparison to all the other street lights they had passed on their walk with the Doctor.

It was then that Harley had an idea. An idea that was simultaneously brilliant and also very, very dangerous. They turned to Madame Vastra, preparing themselves for a possible argument that they really didn't have the time for and shouted.

"Turn all the lights off."

"What?" Madame Vastra asked, though it was clear by the look on her face that she had heard exactly what Harley had told her to do.

"Turn all of the lights off." Harley said, bounding over to the nearby street light, pulling their long, thick coat off and dumping it on the ground. "You can't have shadows if there isn't any light."

"They aren't really shadows, that's just what we call them."

Harley shook their head and began shimmying up the thin metal pole. "The doctor specifically said they were human shadows, he wouldn't call them shadows if they weren't shadows." They grit their teeth as the palms of their hands began to ache. "Look at them! As they get closer to the light they seem to look more solid…"

"Just like a normal shadow." Madame Vastra finished for them as she turned to the carriage and doused the lantern that hung slightly in front of the horse.

Harley had finally reached the top of the street light and, clinging as tightly as they could with one hand, they pulled the glass casing off of the flickering light source. The rain quickly dealt with the small flame leaving only a small cylindrical glowing tube, which had been attached to the top of the casing. The tube had been the source of the extra light. Harley reached their spare hand forward, touching the light with the tips of their fingers and jerked backwards, sliding a couple of inches back towards the ground. The globe was very hot.

A few moments later Harley had recovered their lost height and had moved on to trying to figure out how to turn the light off. They couldn't see any switches, nor did they have anything but their bare hands to work with. They turned and looked at the approaching hoard of shadows, they weren't very far from the carriage now and they seemed to have quickened their pace very slightly.

Harley took a deep breath and quickly wrapped their hand around the cylindrical light, wrenching with all their might. It detached from the casing with a slight pop and Harley dropped it, hissing in agony. The globe hit the footpath below with a dull thud, much to Harley's chagrin, and rolled onto the street. Sliding down the pole ignoring the pain in both of their hands, Harley landed on the ground and grabbed their abandoned coat. Then, very carefully, Harley wrapped the light source up in the coat, leaving the street in darkness.

There was a strange clattering sound, followed by silence. The only light that could be seen now was the distant glow of a street lamp up ahead, but the light didn't touch the carriage, or anything within twenty metres of it. Harley held their breath and waited, hoping that they were right but knowing that they might not have been. If they were wrong, the only way they'd know was when they felt the silent walking shadows against their skin.

* * *

 **Alright, I'm really starting to get into the swing of things. This is the longest chapter so far, I hope you all enjoy :)**


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